Need advise on my Gaming PC build

[IMASHERIFF]

The reason i ask this is because i am not a hundred percent sure if these pieces are compatible with each and if i should downgrade some item so save a little. So here are my specs:

Case: Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition
Cpu: Intel Core i5-3570K
Psu: CORSAIR HX Series HX750
??????Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache
Gpu: GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N680SO-2GD GeForce GTX 680 2GB
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
Optical drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
Monitor: BenQ XL2420TX Black-Red 24" 5ms

I put ???? behind the mobo because im not very sure if it is good or if it even works with the rest of the build.

All opinions are accepted, please share.

Thanks

 

[completelyrandomname]

It's all good except some things. You have an unlocked processor and if you want to overclock you will need a heat sink, a good value heat sink is the CM Hyper 212 EVO. Next the 670 is only a couple % slower than a 680 at stock speeds. I would get a 670 instead and overclock it. You system can run fine on 650W.

 

[rhysiam]

A few suggestions:
- Drop the Samsung 840 Pro to a standard 840 (non-pro). They are slower and have don't have the write endurance, but neither are big deals for a gaming PC. Unless you're writing like 10-15GB a day to your SSD, you'll still get years out of it, and the performance gap only shows up under crazy intensive IO situations, which don't really arise on a single user (especially gaming) system.
- You can drop the WD Black down to a WD Blue as well. The (slight) extra performance of the black isn't worth the price hike IMHO.
- +1 for sir randomname's suggestion to drop to the 670. Much better price/performance purchase.
- You could, if you're looking to save money, drop PSU a little. That HX750 PSU is a really nice unit, but not the cheapest. If you're ever considering SLI, I'd stick with a 750W unit, but if you're don't want that option then you can actually go down to a good quality 550W unit. The Corsair TX series are a little cheaper. You get lower efficiency (Bronze instead of Gold), but they're still good units. Your call that one, depends whether you're happy with a really high-end PSU, or looking to save a little money.
The ASRock MB will work fine and fits well with your build. I've seen a few people suggesting Gigabyte models over that ASRock Z77, but I don't have experience with either personally, so can't comment.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

A few suggestions:
- Drop the Samsung 840 Pro to a standard 840 (non-pro). They are slower and have don't have the write endurance, but neither are big deals for a gaming PC. Unless you're writing like 10-15GB a day to your SSD, you'll still get years out of it, and the performance gap only shows up under crazy intensive IO situations, which don't really arise on a single user (especially gaming) system.
- You can drop the WD Black down to a WD Blue as well. The (slight) extra performance of the black isn't worth the price hike IMHO.
- +1 for sir randomname's suggestion to drop to the 670. Much better price/performance purchase.
- You could, if you're looking to save money, drop PSU a little. That HX750 PSU is a really nice unit, but not the cheapest. If you're ever considering SLI, I'd stick with a 750W unit, but if you're don't want that option then you can actually go down to a good quality 550W unit. The Corsair TX series are a little cheaper. You get lower efficiency (Bronze instead of Gold), but they're still good units. Your call that one, depends whether you're happy with a really high-end PSU, or looking to save a little money.
The ASRock MB will work fine and fits well with your build. I've seen a few people suggesting Gigabyte models over that ASRock Z77, but I don't have experience with either personally, so can't comment.

1) On the SSD i heard that the non pro version has some problems but im not sure, do you know of any.
2) How much of a performance difference is the Blue Vs Black WD
3) For a Gtx 670 what non reference card do you suggest

And thanks a ton for commenting so quick.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

It's all good except some things. You have an unlocked processor and if you want to overclock you will need a heat sink, a good value heat sink is the CM Hyper 212 EVO. Next the 670 is only a couple % slower than a 680 at stock speeds. I would get a 670 instead and overclock it. You system can run fine on 650W.

And what is a heat sink?

 

[completelyrandomname]

It's all good except some things. You have an unlocked processor and if you want to overclock you will need a heat sink, a good value heat sink is the CM Hyper 212 EVO. Next the 670 is only a couple % slower than a 680 at stock speeds. I would get a 670 instead and overclock it. You system can run fine on 650W.

And what is a heat sink?

A CPU gets hot when it's doing it's CPU stuff. To get rid of the heat we use what's called a heat sink. Heat sinks are basically a piece of metal that conducts the heat from the CPU into the heat sink itself and through the use of a fan to cool down the CPU. Intel provides one with every CPU with the exception of a few. Now these are just meant for the CPU without any overclocks. Since it is so small any overclocks will make the CPU faster but hotter and it just won't run properly on the stock heat sink. This is where after market heat sinks come in. They have a much bigger surface area and more metal to dissipate the heat. The use of heat pipes gets the heat from where the CPU is into the heat sink fins (the metal part) where it can be cooled by a fan.

There is also water cooling. There is a base that sits on the CPU and the tubes use water to carry the heat away from the CPU into the radiator and is cooled by a fan. The radiator is the big long (usually) thin piece where the fan cools it.

 

[rhysiam]

1) On the SSD i heard that the non pro version has some problems but im not sure, do you know of any.
2) How much of a performance difference is the Blue Vs Black WD
3) For a Gtx 670 what non reference card do you suggest

1) I haven't heard of any issues myself, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. If you or someone can link to the issues I'd happily look into them for my own benefit! As far as I'm aware, Samsung are one of the most highly trusted SSD vendors, probably only behind intel. As I say, "as far as I'm aware"!

2) Very little: Both are 7200RPM drives. In any case, if you build it properly, all your key programs will be running off the SSD anyways. I don't know 100% what the differences are but I'd be guessing at maybe 5%-10%. The thing is, you'll rarely be waiting on your HDD anyway.

3) Tell us where you're shopping from (newegg?) and I'll try and have a look for you - I'm sure someone else will if I don't get a chance. Gigabyte, Asus, Sapphire, EVGA, all make good non-reference cards IMHO.

And thanks a ton for commenting so quick.

You're most welcome!

 

[IMASHERIFF]

1) On the SSD i heard that the non pro version has some problems but im not sure, do you know of any.
2) How much of a performance difference is the Blue Vs Black WD
3) For a Gtx 670 what non reference card do you suggest

1) I haven't heard of any issues myself, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. If you or someone can link to the issues I'd happily look into them for my own benefit! As far as I'm aware, Samsung are one of the most highly trusted SSD vendors, probably only behind intel. As I say, "as far as I'm aware"!

2) Very little: Both are 7200RPM drives. In any case, if you build it properly, all your key programs will be running off the SSD anyways. I don't know 100% what the differences are but I'd be guessing at maybe 5%-10%. The thing is, you'll rarely be waiting on your HDD anyway.

3) Tell us where you're shopping from (newegg?) and I'll try and have a look for you - I'm sure someone else will if I don't get a chance. Gigabyte, Asus, Sapphire, EVGA, all make good non-reference cards IMHO.

And thanks a ton for commenting so quick.

You're most welcome!

1) With the pro vs the non pro is there any difference with performance that is noticeable to pay the extra money, and with the issue i don't know where the guy found out (because he didn't supply a link) but he said that the non pro had a "less reliable form of NAND".

2) So the price difference is $30, would it make more sense to get the blue, and what is the Scorpio version.

3) I am shopping at newegg.

 

[completelyrandomname]

There is almost never a noticeable performance difference going from SSD "a" to SSD "b".

Again like what I said with the SSDs, any 1Tb 7200RPM HDD will do. 32mb vs 64mb cache will not affect performance much. It's a hard drive, don't expect it to be fast.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

well i looked at the non pro version on newegg and i got two types of 120g, i don't know the difference besides the price, here they are:

1) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147185

2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

one is a bw and the other is a kw.

 

[rhysiam]

1) With the pro vs the non pro is there any difference with performance that is noticeable to pay the extra money, and with the issue i don't know where the guy found out (because he didn't supply a link) but he said that the non pro had a "less reliable form of NAND".

1) Okay I'm with you. The 840 uses TLC NAND whereas the 840Pro uses MLC. There's a pretty helpful discussion here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6459/samsung-ssd-840-testing-the-endurance-of-tlc-nand
Basically TLC is slower and has less write cycles (meaning it 'wears out' quicker). People get freaked out by that last part, but the device is rated at 1000 write cycles, which means that even if you WRITE (reads don't matter) 15GB a day (which no one does under normal usage), a 128GB drive will last you something like 20 years.
As for it being slower, I'm not convinced this is such a big deal. I honestly don't think you'd be able to measure the performance difference between launching a program. Starting windows would be 1-2 seconds difference at absolute most. The most notable area where the 840 (non pro) is slower is sequential writes, it's down to 130MB/s from like 400+. That sounds really bad, but that only matters if the device you're reading from is able to deliver greater than 130MB/s. Most people will never find themselves in that situation. It's really up to you, but I think your money is better spent elsewhere.

2) So the price difference is $30, would it make more sense to get the blue, and what is the Scorpio version.

For $30 saved, get the blue! Scorpio is the 2.5" model, for laptops, etc. It's slower to. No good for you.

3) I am shopping at newegg.

I'd go the Gigabyte Windforce: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423 It's not the cheapest, but it's $380 after the MIR.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

1) With the pro vs the non pro is there any difference with performance that is noticeable to pay the extra money, and with the issue i don't know where the guy found out (because he didn't supply a link) but he said that the non pro had a "less reliable form of NAND".

1) Okay I'm with you. The 840 uses TLC NAND whereas the 840Pro uses MLC. There's a pretty helpful discussion here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6459/samsung-ssd-840-testing-the-endurance-of-tlc-nand
Basically TLC is slower and has less write cycles (meaning it 'wears out' quicker). People get freaked out by that last part, but the device is rated at 1000 write cycles, which means that even if you WRITE (reads don't matter) 15GB a day (which no one does under normal usage), a 128GB drive will last you something like 20 years.
As for it being slower, I'm not convinced this is such a big deal. I honestly don't think you'd be able to measure the performance difference between launching a program. Starting windows would be 1-2 seconds difference at absolute most. The most notable area where the 840 (non pro) is slower is sequential writes, it's down to 130MB/s from like 400+. That sounds really bad, but that only matters if the device you're reading from is able to deliver greater than 130MB/s. Most people will never find themselves in that situation. It's really up to you, but I think your money is better spent elsewhere.

2) So the price difference is $30, would it make more sense to get the blue, and what is the Scorpio version.

For $30 saved, get the blue! Scorpio is the 2.5" model, for laptops, etc. It's slower to. No good for you.

3) I am shopping at newegg.

I'd go the Gigabyte Windforce: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423 It's not the cheapest, but it's $380 after the MIR.

1) Hmm well as for your opinion would you go after a pro or the non pro.

2) you convinced me i'm definitively getting a blue

3) that funny that you picked that one, when i was looking at the 670 i also picked that same model.

 

[rhysiam]

1) Hmm well as for your opinion would you go after a pro or the non pro.

My primary opinion is that you're always best doing your research, understanding the pros/cons and making a decision yourself. Advice can be a dangerous thing!
Still - if you can't be bothered with all that research and just want my advice: get the 840 non-pro. Others would advise you the other way though!

Got yourself that cooler yet? Randomname gave you good info and advice there IMHO.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

1) Hmm well as for your opinion would you go after a pro or the non pro.

My primary opinion is that you're always best doing your research, understanding the pros/cons and making a decision yourself. Advice can be a dangerous thing!
Still - if you can't be bothered with all that research and just want my advice: get the 840 non-pro. Others would advise you the other way though!

Got yourself that cooler yet? Randomname gave you good info and advice there IMHO.

your right ill look into it more just to make sure, i'm still not sure if i am going to overclock so should i still get it and i was wondering about that Gigabyte 680 SOC and if you have heard anything about the noise level, i only ask because of the 5 incredibly small fans

 

[rhysiam]

- Don't know about the 5 fan version. I agree, it could be loud. You're best hunting down some proper reviews.
- You should make a decision about whether you want the ability of Overclock now. You're paying quite a lot of money already to enable OCing (Z77 MB over H77 & the K edition processor). You don't have to OC right away of course, but don't spend money on something you'll never use!
- A custom cooler like the 212 EVO will keep your CPU a cooler and runs quieter than the intel stock heat-sync. It also gives you the ability to OC. Whether you 'should get it' or not is entirely your decision and should be made based on whether the above things are sufficiently important to you to justify the additional cost. You can always add a CPU cooler later. If you decide to wait just check whether that Case of yours has a gap in the backplate to allow you to install one later. Otherwise you gotta remove the MB which is totally do-able, just a much bigger job.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

- Don't know about the 5 fan version. I agree, it could be loud. You're best hunting down some proper reviews.
- You should make a decision about whether you want the ability of Overclock now. You're paying quite a lot of money already to enable OCing (Z77 MB over H77 & the K edition processor). You don't have to OC right away of course, but don't spend money on something you'll never use!
- A custom cooler like the 212 EVO will keep your CPU a cooler and runs quieter than the intel stock heat-sync. It also gives you the ability to OC. Whether you 'should get it' or not is entirely your decision and should be made based on whether the above things are sufficiently important to you to justify the additional cost. You can always add a CPU cooler later. If you decide to wait just check whether that Case of yours has a gap in the backplate to allow you to install one later. Otherwise you gotta remove the MB which is totally do-able, just a much bigger job.

what are the pros to overclocking. i heard it can shorten the lifetime of you components, is that true

 

[IMASHERIFF]

oh and it does have a cut out for a after market heat sink

 

[rhysiam]

Pros to overclocking?
Do some research. You're not the first to ask this question... Google is your friend!!
Like I said above, do the research yourself, get your head around the issues and you'll be much happier with your final build! If you have specific questions that you're struggling to answer from other sources, post back here.
It's a good idea to post builds on the forums because people might have ideas or suggestions that you hadn't thought of. I believe however, that you're the one who needs to decide which ideas and suggestions are right for you.
Google is your friend! Good luck.

 

[IMASHERIFF]

Pros to overclocking?
Do some research. You're not the first to ask this question... Google is your friend!!
Like I said above, do the research yourself, get your head around the issues and you'll be much happier with your final build! If you have specific questions that you're struggling to answer from other sources, post back here.
It's a good idea to post builds on the forums because people might have ideas or suggestions that you hadn't thought of. I believe however, that you're the one who needs to decide which ideas and suggestions are right for you.
Google is your friend! Good luck.

K, and thanks a ton for all your feedback and time

 

[rhysiam]

No worries at all. Why don't you look things over and then post an updated/final build back here?